Kizin Planner

Human male, born LY 835, in Monab. Died 910. Bishop of Monab, 885-910. "The Book of Kizin" is the three hundred fiftieth book of the O'Gas.

Kizin (pronounced 'kĭz·ĭn) became a vice-bishop in 860, shortly after a man named Pyotr became bishop of Monab. Upon Pyotr's death in 885, Kizin became the new bishop of the village. He is best remembered for having conceived The Plan, in 890. He and his allies (including Bishop Dalin of First Village, and vice-bishops Mallory and Saul and Arch-bishop Talak of Monab, among others) spent the next seven years refining the Plan, before they finally began implementing it in 897. The period of its implementation, between 897 and 903, would be known as the Coming of the Order, because the ultimate goal of the plan was to unify the heretofore independent villages of The Land under a single world government, which became known as the Second Order (informally; its formal name is the World Council). The main incentive for the Plan's conception was Kizin's idea that the separation of the villages was painful both to Man and to God, and that if the world's people were more closely united, it would help ease the suffering caused by The Fall. Of course, it's also true that ever since the Order had been established in 404, most spirit-talkers had felt a strong desire for organization, and many felt that this sense of order would benefit all aspects of society, not just the religious community.

One of the first aspects of the Plan was the founding of Near Port, in 897. Because this was Kizin's idea, the forest extending north from the village to northeastern tip of Near Land was named "Kizin Wood," in his honor. Another aspect of the Plan for which Kizin is remembered is the law of Separation of Church and State, an idea which he proposed in 902, and which helped abate many people's fears about the degree of influence the Order was coming to have on the development of the world, during the Coming (as the full extent of the Plan had not yet become common knowledge).

It is unclear whether the surname law, which was passed in 904 (the year after the completion of the Coming of the Order) was ever a part of the Plan, though many assume it to have been. Either way, when the law was passed, Kizin chose the surname Planner, for obvious reasons. (However, anyone who played a role in the refinement or implementation of The Plan are often referred to as "Planners," with a capital "P," a fact which some consider confusing or misleading in some way.)

Kizin died in 910, and was succeeded as bishop of Monab by Mallory Secundus. His book of the O'Gas was published posthumously.

While Kizin was originally believed to have died of natural causes, in 912 a bubble recording of his final moments was revealed to the public, in which it was learned that he had actually been murdered by Durell Turner, to prevent him from bringing evidence to the authorities of the existence of The Cabal. The recording also revealed that the true inspiration for the Plan had come from a series of Terran books (which have as yet never actually been published on the Land), which had been provided to him by a friend. (It is assumed that this friend was a spirit, though there has been some speculation that it may have been Gordon Lightprophet.)